3rd parties get in on late-race Gomez, Markey Senate action

Special Senate election on June 25

New television ads from third party groups popped up on Boston televisions Monday with one week left in the special U.S. Senate race between Rep. Ed Markey, D-MA, and Republican Gabriel Gomez.

New ads from the Senate Majority PAC and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee are running ads attacking Gomez while the Americans for Progressive Action, a newly formed PAC organized by those with ties to Karl Rove, debuted a second ad in four days attacking Markey.

But groups supporting Markey are spending more than twice than APA, the only third party organization boosting Gomez's campaign.

"I challenged Gabriel Gomez from the first day of this campaign," said Markey, "to keep out those outside interests but Gabriel Gomez refused to sign the pledge."

But Gomez calls Markey a hypocrite since he has accepted money from many lobbying groups and lobbyists during his nearly four decades in Washington.

"His machine has shown to proven to be the D.C. machine," said Gomez, "he is D.C. and everybody he's had come up and help him in this campaign is from Washington."

The Senate Majority PAC ad that debuted Monday compares Gomez to Mitt Romney, saying they support the same economic policies.

"It's not going to be won by outside ads," said Gomez. "So I'm psyched by the way our message is resonating with the people of Massachusetts."

"I'm indifferent to the ads," Gomez answered when asked if would prefer APA stop running the ads on his behalf.

Gomez also dismissed recently visits by President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton to Massachusetts to campaign for Markey.

But Democrats believe their visits will rally party insiders to get out the vote.

Markey said in the end it will be his field organization that will bring victory.

While Gomez's campaign brags about contacting hundreds of thousands of voters, Markey estimates his field organization will reach out to one and half million people by June 25.

"The tremendous grass roots organization that we have built all across this state," said Markey, "that's going to pay big dividends on election night."

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